The first few eyeshadow palettes I had featured explosions of color and shimmer that would make a transvestite proud. I had 120 and 88-color palettes and I loved them! Well, I still love colors and shimmer. But the older I get the more I realize how important it is to have dependable basics to work with. This doesn't just apply to clothes and shoes and bags. It's the exact same thing with makeup.

To create a great eyeshadow look, you need classic neutral shades as your base, contour, and highlight. Think of bright, shiny colors as the accessories in your eye makeup. They grab attention and express your mood as well they should. Neutrals, while meant to work hand in hand with colors, must do so in the background. Unless you're wearing them by themselves, of course.

The Urban Decay Naked Basics Palette (P1,600 at Stuff in Style) is perfect for a simple to smoky eye look on its own. It's also designed to be a sort of building block for creating more complex, colorful looks. These eyeshadows have great color pay-off and super smooth texture (as expected from Urban Decay), which means that they're quite easy to work with.

I like thinking of this palette as a little black dress - that one thing you can wear to practically anything!

I met Karrots Nazareno two years ago at an event. Up to this day, she is the most hyper and kengkoy person I know! I admit I was a little sad when I find out that she's no longer with Anthology shoes, but it's hard to dwell on it what with her new show called Live Love Lolz. It's. A. Riot. I swear. I laugh out loud every episode (alone, like a crazy person). It has become a weekly Thursday ritual for me!

Live Love Lolz is a lifestyle show where Karrots talks about donya problems, her best finds, and interviews fascinating people. There are already four episodes available so do watch them all. My favorite so far is the one with the Bulbolizer. She's a fairly famous body waxer from way back in the 90s! Here's a trailer, you can watch the full episode here.

I've been on the lookout for a new eyeshadow base for a while now, but I didn't actually get a new one because I wanted to use up my MAC Prep + Prime Eye Base. I didn't want to put an ok primer to waste! But the summer is pretty harsh this year. My eyeshadows crease and fade too much because of the heat, and that's just not acceptable. So I turned back to the best eyeshadow primer I've tried: the Urban Decay Primer Potion (P1,200 at Digital Traincase).

It's been two years since I first met the UDPP. After all that time, I still think it's one of the best - if not the best - product for making your eyeshadows stay put.

Every girl needs a bright and sophisticated red lipstick in her purse. However, not everyone has the chutzpah to wear it yet; red lipstick is an idea one needs to grow and nurture in the mind before it debuts in person. :P If you're not ready to wear a full-on red, then I suggest you try on a "training wheel" red like the Tony Moly Kiss Lover Lipstick in RD03.

RD03 is a juicy cherry red that shies from being opaque. It's red, sure, but it's not the scary kind which makes it perfect for those who are just starting to explore the shade.